Picture a glass‑smooth Scandinavian evening, the starter’s pistol cracking the still air, then Julien Alfred exploding down lane 4, shoulders loose, eyes fixed, turning the famous orange track into a blur. With a relaxed dip, she stopped the clock at 10.75 s, slicing 0.15 off Irina Privalova’s 31‑year‑old meet record and climbing to No. 2 on the 2025 world list (only Melissa Jefferson‑Wooden’s 10.73 at Philadelphia sits ahead). Dina Asher‑Smith hung on for 50 m; after that, the Saint Lucian was gone, easing up yet still rewriting history. That happened in the Stockholm Diamond League 2025. But did she deserve it?
Rewind just two summers, and Alfred was collecting her diploma at the University of Texas; since then, she has squeezed in World‑final double appearances (2023), Olympic 100 m gold and 200 m silver (2024), and now a spotless seven‑race winning streak in 2025. “She’s barely had any ‘transition phase’ out of college, yet she’s already running the table,” marvels analyst Anderson Emerole on The Final Leg podcast. Alfred has snapped meet records in Oslo and Stockholm within eight days and owns three of this season’s five fastest legal times, proof that her ceiling is still inching higher. Why does Emerole call her “by far the clear favorite” for Tokyo?
Simple math. US stars “Melissa Jefferson, TeeTee Terry, Aaliyah Hobbs—all of them have to go to USA Trials,” Anderson noted. “Shericka Jackson, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the Clayton twins, they’ve got Jamaican trials. That takes a toll.” Even Sha’Carri Richardson, who is automatically qualified as world champion, is still hunting rhythm; her 2025 best is a windy 10.88, and her relay splits show rust. Julien Alfred and Sha’Carri don’t have to go through trials, he explained, “but Alfred is in form. Sha’Carri’s still finding her rhythm.” Emerole notes. “ Julian Alfred seems to be getting into excellent form and very likely has a lot more to go.”
The buzz around Alfred is not just fan hype; it’s backed by elite performances and expert recognition. She’s already had back-to-back 10.7s, and it doesn’t even look like she’s peaked yet. If she gets pushed in Tokyo, we could be talking 10.6s. Tokyo’s World Championships loom in September, and the narrative writes itself: a 23‑year‑old from Castries carrying island pride, no trials stress, and a streak that screams inevitability. If she stays healthy, Alfred could turn her Olympic‑world double dream into reality and perhaps pull the women’s 100 m into the mystical 10.6s conversation. Richardson, Fraser‑Pryce, Jefferson‑Wooden, Jackson, they’re all capable of fireworks, but right now the fuse is burning in Saint Lucia’s colors. But how far are all these legends from Julien Alfred?
While Sha’Carri Richardson waits, Julien Alfred turns up
Julien Alfred’s 2025 season has been flawless so far, winning all her races across multiple events while setting several records. In the 200 m, she ran a world-leading 21.88s on April 18 at the Tom Jones Memorial in Gainesville, beating Favour Ofili and Tamari Davis. On February 2, she set a national record in the 300 m indoor with 36.16s at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston, finishing ahead of Dina Asher‑Smith. She also helped Team International win the 4×400 m relay in 3:25.20 at the Texas Relays on March 29, running a blazing 49.8s split.
On April 5, she topped Shericka Jackson with another national record of 36.05s in the outdoor 300 m at the Miramar Invitational. Earlier in February, she ran 52.97s indoors in the 400 m at the Clemson Tiger Paw Invitational, setting yet another national record and winning her heat. With six wins in six races, Julien Alfred remains undefeated in 2025. And Sha’Carri?
Sha’Carri Richardson has had a quiet start to her 2025 season, opening with a surprising 4th-place finish in the 100 m at the Tokyo Golden Grand Prix on May 18, where she ran 11.47 s into a headwind (–0.9 m/s), far off her personal best of 10.65 s. Reports noted she struggled to find rhythm in the race, marking a slow season opener. However, she’s officially entered to compete at the Prefontaine Classic on July 5, which will be her next major outing as she looks to regain top form ahead of the U.S. Championships and the World stage. And Shelly?
Shelly‑Ann Fraser‑Pryce kicked off her 2025 season on April 20 at Kingston’s Velocity Fest, blazing a wind‑assisted 10.94s (3.1 m/s) in her heat before sitting out the final. She then made her Diamond League return on May 16 in Doha, finishing a solid 4th in the 100 m with 11.05s, edged out by emerging Jamaicans Tia and Tina Clayton, and described the race as a valuable building block for the rest of her campaign.
So far in 2025, the women’s sprints have a clear front-runner, Julien Alfred is owning the 2025 track with a blazing 10.75 s in the 100 m and 21.88 s in the 200 m, making her the woman to beat. Shericka Jackson is keeping the pressure on with strong showings of 11.04 s and 22.53 s, proving she’s still in top form. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the legend herself, clocked 11.05 s as she continues her farewell season with grace and fire. On the other hand, Sha’Carri Richardson has had a quiet start, with just one race so far and a best of 11.47 s. Right now, it’s Julien who’s calling the shots—but with championships looming, this sprint story is just getting started.
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